KND Report: Hideki Matsui's 6 RBIs make him first Asian MVP

November 5, 12:15 AMAsian-American Sports ExaminerMichael Street

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Hideki Matsui's two-run HR in the second inning got the scoring started
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

In what could be his final season in pinstripes, Hideki Matsui went out with a bang, driving in six runs in a 7-3 victory that sealed the Yankees' first World Series since 2000, earning him World Series MVP honors.

As the team's DH, Matsui didn't figure to be a huge factor in the Series, since he couldn't play in the team's three NL games in Philly.

But he didn't let that bother him, as he went 2-3 as a pinch-hitter in those games, including a solo homer in Game 3.

In the games played at Yankee Stadium before tonight, Matsui had gone 3-6, with a walk and a solo homer in Game 2.

Tonight, Matsui got the scoring started for the Yankees in the second inning, working Pedro Martinez for eight pitches before depositing a fastball into the second deck of Yankee Stadium.

The Phillies would score a run of their own in the top half of the third inning to narrow the lead to one, until Matsui struck again in the bottom of the third.

This time, he needed to see only three pitches from Martinez before lacing a single into short left that scored two more, making the score 4-1.

The Yanks had already scored another run in the fifth inning to widen the lead to 5-1 when Matsui stepped to the plate with A-Rod on first and Mark Teixiera on second. J.A. Happ hung a slider, and Matsui smoked a long ball to the left center field fence, coming just feet away from his second home run of the night.

Both runners scored, and Matsui stood on second, responsible for six of the Yankees' seven runs on the night.

Kattobase Nihonjin Dairiigaa!

The Phillies would score two more runs in the top of the sixth on Ryan Howard's first homer of the Series, but would get no closer.

Matsui's three hits left him a triple shy of the cycle, which would have made him the only player to hit for the cycle in World Series history.

But a 3-4 night with 6 RBI isn't too shabby, as it tied him with Bobby Richardson (also a Yankee) for most RBI in a Series game. Richardson did it in 1960, making Matsui's accomplishment the best World Series single-game perfomance in almost fifty years.

This is a great send-off for Matsui, who heads into free agency, which will probably move him away from the Yankees, the only team he's ever played for in the U.S.

The Yankees want to get younger, and because he can't play in the field as much as before (he only appeared at DH all season long), they are unlikely to resign him.

To help a team win a World Series is a great way to raise his market value; his 3 HR in the Series led the team, as do his 7 RBI and .615 batting average. 

Small wonder, then, that he was named the MVP, becoming not only the first Asian player to be named Most Valuable Player, but the first full-time DH to earn those honors.

Yet another milestone achieved for Asian ballplayers—many congratulations to Hideki Matsui on an amazing accomplishment!

Wherever he plays next year, you'll read about it on the Asian-American Sports Examiner.

Keep reading as I shift my focus to the NBA and Yi Jianlian!